History

The community received its name from
John Roll McLean, the former publisher and owner of The Washington Post. Along with
Stephen Benton Elkins and French aristocrat Jean-Pierre Guenard, in 1902 he bought the charter for the Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad. Completed in 1906, it connected the area with Washington, D.C. McLean named a railroad station costing $1,500, of which $500 was raised locally, after himself where the rail line (traveling on the present route of Old Dominion Drive) crossed the old Chain Bridge Road.[8] The community itself was founded in 1910, when the communities of
Lewinsville and
Langley merged.

The community lies in the
Piedmont upland on the west bank of the
Potomac River.[11][12] The river forms the community's northern and eastern borders, and a number of its smaller tributaries flow north and northeast through the CDP. From west to east, these include Bull Neck Run, Scott Run, Dead Run, Turkey Run, and
Pimmit Run.[12]

According to the
United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 24.88 square miles (64.4 km2) of which 24.79 square miles (64.2 km2) is land and 0.09 square miles (0.23 km2) is water.[13]

There were 17,063 households out of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.5% were married couples living together, 2.4% had a male householder with no wife present, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. Of all households, 18.0% were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80, and the average family size was 3.17.[1]

The median age was 45.1 years. 26.9% of the population was under the age of 18, 4.3% was 18 to 24, 18.6% was 25 to 44, 33.2% was 45 to 64, and 17.0% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the community was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.[1]

The median income for a household in the CDP was $164,888, and the median income for a family was $194,832. Males had a median income of $132,714 versus $87,663 for females. The
per capita income for the CDP was $87,073. About 1.3% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 2.6% of those under the age of 18 and 3.2% of those 65 and older.[1]

As of 2012, 61.6% of the population over the age of 16 was in the labor force. 0.4% was in the armed forces, and 61.2% was in the civilian labor force with 58.4% employed and 2.9% unemployed. The occupational composition of the employed civilian labor force was: 73.2% in management, business, science, and arts; 17.9% in sales and office occupations; 5.5% in service occupations; 2.0% in natural resources, construction, and maintenance; 1.4% in production, transportation, and material moving. The three industries employing the largest percentages of the working civilian labor force were: professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (27.8%); educational services, health care, and social assistance (17.7%); and public administration (16.6%).[1]

The cost of living in McLean is very high; compared to a U.S. average of 100, the cost of living index for the community is 142.6.[16] As of 2012, the median home value in the community was $908,000, the median selected monthly owner cost was $3,803 for housing units with a mortgage and $1,000+ for those without, and the median gross rent was $2,000+.[1]

Public libraries

Weekend educational programs

The Washington Japanese Language School (WJLS, ワシントン日本語学校 Washington Nihongo Gakkō), a
supplementary weekend Japanese school, previously held classes at St. Luke Catholic School in McLean.[24] The institution, giving supplemental education to Japanese-speaking children in the
Washington DC area, was founded in 1958,[25] making it the oldest Japanese government-sponsored supplementary school in the U.S.[26]

The Polish School of Washington, D.C. holds classes on Saturdays at Longfellow Middle School, which are funded by the Polish Embassy in Washington D.C. ABRACE Inc., a Brazilian Portuguese heritage language program, holds weekly classes at McLean High School for children ages 3 to 18.[27]

Parks and recreation

Lewinsville Park, Langley Fork Park, and McLean Central Park, all operated by Fairfax County Park Authority, are located in McLean.
The McLean Little League is also located in McLean. In 2005, the girls' All-Star softball team from McLean Little League won the
Little League Softball World Series Championship in
Portland, Oregon.[28] MLL's girls' All-Star softball team has been the Little League Softball World Series runner-up twice, in 2004 and in 2013.[29] The Mount Daniel School Park, operated by
The City of Falls Church, is physically within McLean.[17][30]Clemyjontri Park, opened in 2006,[31] with its 2-acre playground, carousel and picnic pavailion is a popular destination for families.
Claude Moore Colonial Farm is also popular with history buffs and families.[32]